Buckle for safety belt and the like



Oct. 11, 1966 w. F- HAMANN BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELT AND THE LIKE Filed May 28, 1964 24 1 FIG.1. 10 12 FIGS.

INVENTOR.

URLTEI? F. HAMANN United States Patent 3,277,544 BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELT AND THE LIKE Walter F. Hamann, Huntington, N.Y., assignor to American Safety Equipment Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 370,931 Claims. (Cl. 24-196) This invention relates to buckles for safety belts, and particularly to those of the type used in airplanes, automobiles and for other purposes. It has as a broad object to provide a buckle structure of increased strength and durability, and one capable of safely performing its required function of protection for the user.

A safety belt of the type to which the present invention has reference is shown and described in the patent to Brown, U.S. 3,078,538 and the invention herein constitutes an improvement thereover.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved lifting means for the latching plate of the buckle structure and includes a cover member having side walls or skirts disposed externally of the side walls of the body of the buckle when the cover member is in its closed position. Such an arrangement is adapted to prevent exposure of any openings in the side walls of the body, to reinforce said side walls and to resist the tendency thereof to spread apart under load or pull exerted on the belt.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a hinged cover on the buckle body member, the cover having side walls or skirts which fit on the outside of the side Walls of said body member.

The invention further contemplates the provision of stop and lifting structure for a spring-biased latching plate, which structure comprises one or more projecting elements extending from the inner wall surface of the cover member intermediate the side walls thereof, said projection or projections being adapted to engage the latching plate to both raise or lift the same and also limit its pivotal movement in a direction away from the cover member. Said projection or projections in conjunction with the cover side walls also may serve as a reinforcing channel for the entering cover side wall or walls as will appear hereinafter.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a safety belt buckle constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a front View of the buckle with the cover member thereof in a raised position;

FIG. 4 is a view of the cover member, looking at the inner face of the same, the cover being shown detached from the body of the buckle;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6- is a view of the inside of the cover member showing separate stop and lifting brackets employed;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 77 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 shows a modified construction having the latching plate and lifting structure in the form of a flange depending from the inner surface of the cover member; and

FIG. 9 is a slightly enlarged sectional view of a part of the cover member and the attached flange shown in FIG. 8.

Referring to the drawing, 1 generally indicates the body Patented Oct. 11, 1966 or base member of the buckle structure. The same is provided with a bottom wall and vertical side walls, the bottom wall being indicated at 2 and the side walls at 3. The bottom wall 2 is provided with an opening 4 through which one end 5 of the belt is adapted to pass upwardly to be looped around a rod 6 mounted within the body and extending between the side walls 3 thereof. Rod 6 has a knurled surface and is flattened at its end for slidable mounting in inclined slots 7 provided in the side walls 3 of the body to enable rod 6 to move in said slots toward an upstanding wall or portion 8 formed by an upturned part of bottom wall 2. Wall or partition 8 is backed by lugs 9 which are pressed out of the side walls 3 of the body. The elements thus far described are known, the same being shown and described in said U.S. Patent 3,078,538 heretofore mentioned.

The buckle structure is provided with a cover member 10 having a top wall .12 and depending side walls or skirts 11. The latter walls are adapted to fit on the outside of the side walls 3 of the body when the cover member is in its closed position, the position of the side walls 11 of the cover member then being such as to tend to resist outward spread or deflection of the side walls 3 of the body under load or during pull exerted on the belt. The arrangement of side walls 11 of the cover member on the outside of body walls 3 is also effective to prevent lateral displacement or maintain central position of rod 6 when the cover member is in closed position. Since the rod 6 is somewhat loosely mounted in the inclined slots 7, the flattened ends on said rod sometimes permit a slight axial shift of the rod when the cover is opened so that one or the other of the ends of the rod may project slightly beyond the outer surface of one or the other of the walls 3 and as a result the rod may then be slightly off-center. In such case, the cover upon closing, will have one of its walls brought into contact with the slightly protruding end of the rod 6 and will thereupon shift the rod axially in the slots 7 and cause it to assume the desired central position.

A spindle 13, passing through the walls 3 and 11 pivotally attaches the cover member to the body. A torsion spring 14 encircles the spindle within the body, said spring having one end attached to the spindle by entering a hole therein and having its other end resting against a pivotally mounted latching plate 15 Which has angularly-bent ends 16 mounted on the spindle.

Latehing plate ends 16 are provided with openings 17 (FIG. 7) which are engaged by projections or detents 18 formed on legs 22 of angle brackets 19. Each angle bracket 19 includes a leg portion 20 which is disposed flatly against the inside wall surface of the cover and is spotWeld-ed thereto as indicated at 21 in FIG. 6. The forwardly-extending leg 22 of each of the angle brackets is provided with the detent 18, said leg 22 extending into a channel formed between the end 16 of the latch plate 15 and the inner face of the side wall 3 of the body. This arrangement is such as to provide lifting and stop means by which the pivotal swing of the latching plate in a direction away from the inside of the cover member is limited. Moreover, a reinforcing channel area for each of body side Walls 3 is formed between said side walls and each of bracket legs 22 as seen in FIG. 3.

When a fitting or connection plate 24 to which the second end of the belt shown at 25 is attached is slid into the interior of the body along bottom wall 2 by movement therein from the left of FIG. 1, it is halted and maintained against vertical angular movement by connection plate extension lugs 24a disposed along the longitudinal edges below and adjacent shoulders 24b, said lugs 24:: being engaged by corner notches 240 formed at the lower inner corners of side walls 3. Under the bias of spring 14 lugs 26, formed on the latching plate 15,

will enter through an opening in the connection plate 24 and will pass through or penetrate apertures 27 formed in the bottom wall 2 of the body member.

So long the the cover member remains in its closed position, the spring 14, urging the latching plate away from it, will retain the latching plate in engagement with the fitting or connection plate 24 and prevent the withdrawal thereof from within the body member. When the cover member is manually raised, it will bring the latching plate away with it, thus elevating the lugs 26 out of the opening in the connection plate or fitting 24 and also lifting the lugs 26 out of the apertures 27 so that the connection plate or fitting 24 can then be manually slid toward the left in FIG. 1 and detached from the buckle.

In FIGS. 3 and 6 the stop brackets 19 are shown as two separate brackets. A modification is shown in FIG. 4, wherein the stop elements or detents 18 are formed on forwardly projecting lugs 30 formed integrally with a cross strip 31 that is spot-welded as shown at 32 to the inner face of the cover member.

In FIGS. 8 and 9 are shown another means for providing lifting and stop elements for latching plate 15. Thus, the cover member 10 is provided with a projecting flange 35 extending outwardly from its inner surface. Said flange 35 is provided at its free end with a laterallybent or hooked extremity 36 that engages with the forward edge of the latching plate 15, thereby limiting the pivotal movement in one direction of the latching plate under the bias of the torsion spring 14. This arrangement may be useful when the cover member is formed of a plastic material. v

The improved buckle construction as described is such that greater strength and stability for the related parts of the structure is obtained. The side walls or skirts 11 on the cover serve to conceal the exposed slots 7 in the side walls 3 of the body member, as Well as resisting spreading movement of the walls 3 when the structure is under load or pull exerted by the belt. Also by the arrangement disclosed, the formation of dividing slits that are normally exposed between the cover and body at the top of the buckle are covered.

The lifting and stop means for latching plate 15 are such that the same can be made relatively thick and strong so that any possibility of detents 18 becoming free from openings 17 in the latching plate and with which they engage will be effectively prevented.

It is understood that minor changes in integration, size, location and assembly of parts may all be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a buckle for safety belts the combination comprising a body member having a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, a cover member pivotally mounted on the body member, the cover member having side walls extending on the outside of the side walls of the body member, a pivot spindle for the cover member, a latching plate pivoted on said spindle, a spring biasing said latching plate in a direction away from the cover member, and at least'one projection extending away from the inside face of the cover member and spaced from the side walls of the cover member and in engagement with the latching plate to limit the movement of said latching plate in a direction away from the inside face of the cover member.

2. In a buckle as set forth in claim 1 wherein the projection extending from the inside of the cover member consists of an angle bracket having a forwardly-extending leg provided with a detent, the latch plate having an opening engageable by said detent to a wall thereof.

3. In a buckle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the projection is a flange projecting from the inside face of the cover member, said flange having a laterally-extended end engageable with the forward edge of the latch plate.

4. In a buckle for safety belts, the combination comprising a body member having side walls, a cover member having side walls disposed on the outside of the side walls of the body member when the cover is in a closed position on the body member, a latching plate pivotally attached to the cover member, the side walls of the body and parts of the latching plate defining a channel space between them, the latching plate having end lugs with openings in them, stop members consisting of spaced angle brackets attached to the inside of the cover member, each of said brackets having a leg located in said channel space, and each of said legs having a detent entering in the openings in the latching plate.

5. In a buckle as set forth in claim 4 wherein a channel is formed between each of said legs and each of the cover side walls for insertion of the body side walls.

6. A buckle for safety belts comprising a body member, a cover member pivotally attached to the body member, said cover member having side walls extending on the outside of said body member, a spring-biased latching plate pivotally mounted in the body on the pivot of the cover member, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the latching plate in one direction comprising a projection extending from the inner face of the cover member between but spaced from the side walls thereof and adjacent to the pivot for the cover and latching plate, said projection having a detent engaging with the latching plate.

7. A buckle as set forth in claim 6 wherein the pro- 7 jection is a leg constituting a part of a bracket, the bracket having a second leg spot-welded to the inner face of the cover member near the pivot therefor.

8. A buckle as set forth in claim 6 wherein the projection and another and similar projection are lugs provided at the ends of a cross bar extending transversely across the inner face of the cover member, each of said projections being provided with a detent, and the latching plate having end walls formed with apertures into which said detents are entered.

9. A buckle as set forth in claim 6 wherein the projection is a flange extending at substantially right angles from the inside face of the cover member near the pivot, said flange having a hooked end rearwardly of the forward end of the cover member engaging with an edge on the latching plate.

10. A buckle having a body member including a pair of side walls, each of said side walls having a slot, a rod having lugs at its opposite ends fitted in said slots, the rod being capable of a slight axial movement in the slots in which one of said lugs projects slightly beyond the outside surface of a side wall of said body, a cover member pivotally attached to the body member, the cover member having side walls fitting on the outside of the side walls of the body member when the cover is closed, the side walls of the cover member being effective. to axially shift the rod on the closing of said cover member to an extent to locate the rod centrally between the side walls of the body member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,992,467 7/1916 Gaylord 24230 3,078,538 2/1963 Brown 24-230 3,131,446 5/1964 Davis 24-230 X 3,147,530 9/1964 Goldman 24230 X 3,170,211 2/1965 Van Noord 24230 X FOREIGN PATENTS 880,771 10/ 1961 Great Britain.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS, A COVER MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE BODY MEMBER, THE COVER MEMBER HAVING SIDE WALLS EXTENDING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE BODY MEMBER, A PIVOT SPINDLE FOR THE COVER MEMBER, A LATCHING PLATE PIVOTED ON SAID SPINDLE, A SPRING BIASING AND LATCHING PLATE IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE COVER MEMBER, AND AT LEAST ONE PROJECTION EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE INSIDE FACE OF THE COVER MEMBER AND SPACED FROM THE SIDE WALLS OF THE COVER MEMBER AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LATCHING PLATE TO LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCHING PLATE IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE INSIDE FACE OF THE COVER MEMBER. 